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MCTC Apparel Program Collaborates with Target

Posted on
March 6, 2015
by
MCTC News

Technical designers from locally based retailer Target saw firsthand how product designs come to life during a workshop with Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) Apparel Technologies students.

The Apparel Technologies department invited Target technical designers into the College’s state-of-the-art sewing lab to observe students simulating a garment factory’s “progressive bundling system.” According to MCTC Apparel Technologies instructor Vicki Johnson, the two-day workshop allowed employees to observe all aspects of apparel manufacturing from the first sample pattern to a completed production run.

“It was a great learning opportunity for everyone to see how involved the manufacturing process can be during production,” Johnson said.

Throughout the workshop, students and Target employees were assigned roles of sewing, pressing and finishing pairs of shorts. Target industry experts judged teams based on the quality and quantity of the finished product and the results of a quality assurance inspection.

“It was incredibly informative for us,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to gain insight into the mass production of apparel and the roles in the field of technical design.”

Amanda Jenson graduated from the Apparel Technologies program in 2012 and was one of the Target employees in attendance at the workshop.

“It gave me a better understanding of all the steps it takes to produce a garment at the factory level,” she said.

The success of this workshop and the commitment of MCTC’s faculty indicate future partnership opportunities between Target and the MCTC program. “Our program has a great reputation in the apparel industry and has the largest industrial sewing lab in the 5 state area,” said Johnson. “This workshop marks the beginning of a collaboration that will benefit our students and our program in the future.”